Wire-fence machine



(No Model.)

' M. GAHILL.

WIRE FENCE MACHINE. No. 578,284; Patented Mar..Z, 1897,

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' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MORTIMER GAHILL, OF LAWRENCE, -KANSAS.

WIRE-FENCE MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 578,284, dated March 2,1897.

Application am June 29,1896. Serial No. 597,340. (to model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, M ETTMER GAHILL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lawrence, in the county of Douglas and State of Kansas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire-Fence Machines;

and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawin gs,formin g apart of this specification.

My invention has for its object, first, to reduce the friction of therevoluble wire-twister upon its track to the minimum; second, to enlargeor contract the dimensions of the track for separate revolublewire-twisters varying in size and position; third, to regulate thedistance between the respective wiretwisters in series upon thecarrying-frame.

My invention consists in the novel construction and combination ofparts, such as will be fully described, and specifically pointed out inthe claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in perspective oftheimprovedfence-machine,showing the fence and fence-wires with aportion of the sprocket-toothed disk broken away to show thewire-twister, the tension device and swivel, and the machine in positionfor operation. Fig. 2 is a side view of the fence-machine with thesprocket toothed disk and sprocket-chains removed. Fig. 3 is a detailview in perspective of one of the combined wire-twisters andsprocket-disks, showing a broken portion of the upper guide-arm and theguide-roller, a portion of the sprocket-wheel being broken away to showthe wire-twister and the annular extension in the sprocketdisk. Fig. 4is a detail View of the forked end of one of the guide-arms. Fig. 5 is adetail side and plan view of the adjustable portions of one of theguidearms. Fig. 6 is a detail plan view of the combined wire-twister andsprocket-toothed disk. Fig. 7 is a detail plan view of one of theguide-arms and the plate connected therewith carrying the guiderollerand retaining the sprocket-chain in engagement with the sprocket-tootheddisk. Fig. 8 is a view in perspective of the tension device.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a vertical standard of asuitable heightv which supports in the manner hereinafter described therespective wire-twisters B B B in vertical series.

The wire-twister B consists of a revoluble ring, both sides of which arefiat. To the inn-er edge portion of ring B and at one side of said ringis rigidly attached one end of a fiat plate 1), the other end of whichplate extends in the line of the diameter of said ring and is rigidlyattached to its inner edge upon the other side. In plate I), on eachside of a central point of the ring equidistant from its periphery, is aperforation b for the separate wires to be twisted. In said plate, nearits point of connection with the ring B, are apertures b b for the wireswhen the machine is employed as hereinafter described.

b b are perforated lugs on the inner edge of ring B. Upon one side ofthe ring B is a circular flat plate or disk 0, upon the periphery ofwhich are sprocket-teeth o. On the inner side of the disk 0 andconnected with the inner edge of the ring Bis an annu lar extension 0,which abuts against the plate I) and lugs-b and retains the disk at adescribed distance from the periphery of the ring B. Said disk 0 isremovably connected with the ring B by means of the threaded bolts 0which extend through the said disk and the lugs b on ring B, and towhich bolts are fitted the nuts 0 In disk 0 directly opposite theperforations b b in the plate b of ring B are perforations c o. Theannular wire-twisterB is revoluble between and held in position byguide-rollers supported by arms which extend in the direction of andtangentially to the twister, ashereinafter described. Upon the upper endportion of the standard A is a sleeve or collar (1 in conformation tothe sides ofsaid standard.

To one side of sleeve (1 is attached rigid-1y one end of an arm D, whichextends a considerable distance from and at right angles to saidstandard. The outer end of said arm is forked at d d and the said forkedends bent downwardly in a curved line. In the forked ends of said arm Dis journaled a small grooved rollerE. Said arm D, between the sleeve 01and the forked end (1, is in two separate longitudinally-slotted parts d01 one part overlapping the other. Said parts are secured adjustablytogether by means of the ad justing-bolts d and nuts (F. In the collar dand in the other side from that having arm D is an adjusting-screw dwhich impinges upon the adjacent side of the standard A, and by means ofwhich the collar is adjusted in position. Beneath the adjustable arm Dis an arm D, which is also provided with a collar fitted adj ustably tothe standard in precisely the same manner as the collar (1. The arm D isshort in length compared with arm D, and extends horizontally in adirect line from the corresponding; side of said standard and is alsoprovided with separate adjustable parts, as described of the arm D.

In .the outer end of the arm D, which is forked, is journaled a groovedguide-roller E. To the corresponding side of standard A, from which areextended the arms D D, is adj ustably connected an arm D which isconstructed precisely the same as the arm D and secured to the standardin like manner. The outer forked ends of the arm D are reversed from theposition of arm D and the curved forked ends extended upwardly, and insaid ends is journaled a grooved guide-roller E the position of saidroller being directly be neath roller E. The periphery of the ring B isplaced in the groove of each one of the guiderollers E E E the arm Dbeing first adjusted so as to widen the space between the roller E androllers E E and admit the ring B, after which the arm is again adjustedand the roller E caused to receive the periphery of the ring B. Theposition of each guide-roller therefore is such as to permit of rapidrotation of ring B without liability of binding or causing friction.Beneath the combined disk 0 and wire-twister B is a combined disk andwiretwister C B, which is constructed in precisely the same manner asthe combined disk 0 and wire-twister B and is supported in position andrevoluble in grooved guide-rollers, which are journaled in adjustablearms D D D constructed and arranged in precisely the same manner as therespective arms D D D and extending in a like direction and from acorresponding side of standard A. Beneath the combined disk andwire-twister ring B is shown a separately-mounted wire-twister B theconstruction and arrangement of which and its support being preciselythe same as described of the other wire-twisters.

For the purpose of operating each wiretwister B B B simultaneously andwith a short leverage a bar f, having a longitudinal slot at one end, issecured to the side of the adjustable arm D supporting the wire-twisterB by means of the adjusting-bolts securing the separate parts of saidarm together. The outer end of the said barf is bent outwardly at f atan angle to the rear end in a slight degree, as seen in Fig. 7, andthence extended lar g, and to the side of said collar is attached abracket g, which extends in an opposite direction from standard A tothat described by the arms D D D and to the side of said bracket isjournaled a small sprocket-wheel G, to the axis of which wheel isattached a crank 9 Over the periphery of disk 0 is extended one end of asprocket-chain H, the other end of which chain is extended downwardly,engaging with the sprocket-teeth in the disk 0, and thence over thelower disk C thence upwardly between the guide-roller F and engagingwith the sprocket-teeth on the disk 0', thence guided by the wheel F toand over the small sprocket-wheel G, and the two ends of thesprocket-chain are connected together in the usual manner.

In operation the separate strands of fencewire composing the upperfence-cable are attached to a suitable fixed post at one end. Theimproved fence-machine is placed in an upright position, and theotherends of the separate wires extended through the respective perforationsb b in plate I) of the ring B, and also through the perforations 0 0 01?disk 0. The ends of the wires are then connected with a tension device Iof well-known construction, which may be provided with a swivel, theswivel being secured by a piece of wire to the upper end of a fixed postK. The tension device is then operated to draw upon the fence-wires, soas to take up the slack and retain them horizontally in position. Thefence-wires composing the lower and intermediate cables are thenstretched in like manner and extended through the respectivewiretwisters B B and by means of tension devices applied in the samemanner as described of the upper separate fence-wires. The operatorplaces a fence-picket between the separate strands of all thefence-wires and in a vertical position, the standard A being supportedby hand or in any other manner pretation of the wire-twister the swiveli permits the fence-wires on the tension device to change position in adirection contrary to the twisting movement of the wire-twister.

IIO

It will readily be seen that the twister-ring B may be removed from theguide-rollers and the arms D D D adjusted so as to draw theguide-rollers nearer each other in position, so as to receive atwister-ring smaller in size. In this adjustment the adjusting-screws dof the upper and lower collars d are turned so as to adjust the armscloser together and the smaller twister-wheel inserted in the respectiveguide-rollers. In wire-twisting machines a number of small twisters maybe employed and the separate cables of twisted wires thus brought closertogether.

In Fig. 2 I have shown the wire-twistin g machine with thesprocket-chain and sprockettoothed disks removed and a longer leverageobtained in operating the twisting devices. In this modified form ofmachine the separate fence-wires are passed through the perforations b bin plate b of the ring B and the tension applied in the same manner asdescribed of the machine as in Fig. 1. The other fence-wires are passedthrough perforations b in the same part of the plate in the otherwire-twisters B and B as described of wiretwister B. The operator inthis form of the invention raises the standard Awith the hands and movesit bodily and describes with said standard a curvilinear movement in thedirection of the fence-Wires. This movement actuates the respectiverings B B B and obtaining a longer leverage on the rings the rings eachrevolve, twisting the fence-wires, as described in the employment of thesprocket-toothed disk and the sprocket-chain, and accomplishing thetwisting of the fencewireswith equal facility.

If preferred, the wire-twistin g rings B BB may have a grooved peripheryand the rollers E E E fitted thereto without departing from myinvention.

For the purpose of making more uniform the feed of the fence-wiresthrough the tension device I and to prevent the removal of galvanizedsurface by friction as the wires are fed through in a shortening processoccasioned by the twisted fence-wires on the side of the tension device,in the path of the fence-wires are attached antifriction-rollers i inseries. ers in succession the wires are held and fed between, as. thetwisting of the wires decreases their length.

Having fully described my invention, what I now claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a Wire-twisting machine, an annular Wire-twister, and aguide-frame composed of a standard and laterally-extended arms, saidarms having separate adjustably-connected parts extending in thedirection of and also tangentially to the periphery of said twister, andhaving inwardly-bent outer forked ends and antifriction guide-rollers insaid forked ends, and also adj ustably connected with said standards asand for the purpose described.

2. In a wire-twisting machine, an annular wire-twister, and aguide-frame composed of a standard and laterally-extended arms, saidarms extending in the direction of and also tangentially to theperiphery of said wiretwister, and having inwardly-bent outer ends Overand under each of said rolland antifriction-rollers in said ends, saidMORTIMER OAHILL.

Witnesses:

J M. SPENCER, J. L. STEELE.

